Sheet metal brake



March 4, 1952 H. LEISER SHEET METAL BRAKE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed May 16, 1950 INVENTOR. HENRY L555? 4? ATTORNEY March 4, 1952 H. LEJISER 2.587,865 SHEET METAL BRAKE Filed May 16, 1950 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 22 23 2a m A INVENTOR.

HENRY 45/55 T 3.5. BY

ATTORNEY Patented Mar. 4, 1952 umrao STATES PATENT OFFICE SHEET METAL BRAKE Henry Leiser, Denver, Colo. Application May 16, 1950, Serial No. 162,281

This invention relates to a sheet metal brake, and has for its principal object the provision of a relatively small device which can be used on any convenient work-bench or table, and which will quickly and easily formstraight, accurate, l

angular bends in metal sheets.

Another object of the invention is to provide a sheet metal brake in which the clamping vise portion will be quickly and easily removable so that sheets bent in closed or U-shaped forms may be easily removed from the brake.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and efficiency. These will become more apparent from the following description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the upper removable portion of the improved brake;

Fig. 2' is a similar view of the brake with the upper portion of Fig. 1 removed;

Fig. 3 is a similar View illustrating the complete brake with the upper portion in place;

Fig. 4 is a cross-section taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 3;

4' Claims. (Cl. 153-16) 30 Fig. 5 is a similar cross-section taken on the line 5-5, Fig. 3; and

Fig. 6 is a detail view of the hinge. The improved brake employs an elongated table plate I I] which is bent downwardly at its ex- 3 tremities to form vertical end members I I, thence outwardly to form end flanges I-2. The horizontal plate In is supported at its extremities on the end members II and upon angle plates, each extending downwardly from plate It and having an upturned side or plate I3 and a base portion or plate I4.

The flanges I2 and the end members II are Welded to the base portions I4, and the upper edges of the upturned sides I3 are welded to the 5 bottom of the plate I so as to form an opensided, box-like lever compartment at each extremity of the brake. The upturned sides I3 at the opposite extremity of the plate I0 are held in rigid, spaced relation by means of an elongated plate I9, which is welded at its extremities to the upturned sides I3 and along its top to the plate I0. One edge of each of the plates I3 is extended upwardly to form a hinge ear 24 supporting a hinge pin 23.

55 sidewardly-extending side slot 39.

A channel member I is welded horizontally to the upturned sides I3 in each of the compartments. The horizontal side flanges of each channel member I5 are drilled to receive a vertical leg I6 of an L-shaped swinging lever I1. Each 0f 'the levers I 1 extends outwardly through an elongated horizontal slot I8 in each of the end members I I.

The bending of a; metal sheet, such as shown at 30, is accomplished by means of a swinging plate 20, which is first rolled upwardly at its extremities to form terminal ridges 2I, thence is rolled downwardly to form terminal flanges 22. The flanges 22 extend to one side of the plate and are hingedly mounted on the hinge pins 23. The plate 20 is provided with a suitable hand grip 25 and is stiffened by means of a back plate 26 having an outline similar to the plate 26, which is welded or otherwise secured to the latter over its entire undersurface. stiffening ridges 21 are stamped into the backing plate 26 to stiffen the entire structure of the two plates 20 and 26. The extremities of the backing plate 26 are flanged downwardly, and the flanges terminate in downwardly turned hinge flanges 28 through which the hinge pins 23 pass.

The upper inner edges of the two plates 20 and 26 are accurately aligned and machined to form a flat, narrow bending edge 29. The axes of the pins 23 are placed inaxial alignment with the lower edge of the bending edge 29 and the upper surface of the plate ID, as shown in Fig. 5.

The sheet metal 30 is gripped against the plate I 0 by means of a gripping plate 3|, the forward edge of which is beveled back. to form a relatively sharp edge 32 at the intersection of the edge 29 and the top of the plate In. The gripping plate 3I is stiffened throughout its length by means of an inverted V-shaped stiffening member 33 extending the entire length thereof. The extremities of the plate 3I and the extremities of the member 33 are Welded to terminal plates 34, which are in turn bolted by means of clamp bolts 35 to the terminal or end cap plates 36. The bolts 35 extend through slotted openings 31 in the terminal plates 34 to allow forward and back adjustment of the beveled edge 32. The two vertical edges of each of the end cap plates 36 are rolled inwardly to form cover ing flanges 40, which cover the lever compart ments at each extremity of the plate III, as shown in Fig. 3.

The cap plates 36 are slottedto provide an upwardly extending slot 38 joining an inclined, When the brake is assembled, the vertical slots 38 slide downwardly over the levers ll until the latter rest in the side slots 39. The levers 3'? are then swung sidewardly into the side slots 39s) as to tremities of the side slots 39. As they swing, they act to pull the plate 3| downwardly against the sheet metal 30, causing the projectingportion of the latter to bend upwardly, as indicated at B, Fig. 5.

The swinging plate 28 is now swung upwardly to the broken-line position C of Fig. 5, causing the bending edge 29 to bend the sheet 99 upwardly about the beveled edge 32 of the position D of Fig. 5. Fonordinary single bends, the gripping plate 3| need not be removed from the brake. For double bends, however, which form bends in the sheet at both sides of the brake, the levers ll can be swung to positions over the vertical slots 38 and the entire upper portion of the brake, shown in Fig. 1, can be lifted from the lower portion thereof, shown in Fig. 2.

It will be noted that it is not necessary to lock the levers I6 in the channel members I5, since the horizontal slots J1} prevent upward move.-

ment of the levers. 1

'While a specific form of the improvement has been described and illustrated herein, it isto be understood that the same may be varied,

within the scope of the appended claims, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired secured by Letters Patentis:

l. A brake for bending sheet metal sheets comprising a flat table plate; a flat gripping plate adapted to grip, the sheet metal sheet against said table plate, one edge of each plate being in alignment with one edge of the other plate; a swinging plate;-' means hinging said swinging plate along an axis in alignment with the aligned edges of the first plates; an outwardly extending lever hingedly secured tosaid-table plate at each extremity thereof; means guiding the swinging movement of said levers in a plane parallel to the plane of said table plate and angularly turned end members on said gripping plate extending at right angles to the latter and over and beyond the xtremities of said table plate, said end members being slotted to receive said levers, the slots in the end members being'inclined from the plane of said table plate so that when said levers are swung, they will act against said inclined slots ,to move said gripping plate toward said table' plate.

2. A brake for bending sheet metal sheets com- 7 prising"; a flat table plate; a flat gripping plate adapted to grip the sheet metal sheet a inst said table plate, one edge of each plate being in alignment with one edge of the other plate; a swinging plate; means hinging said swinging plate along an axis in alignment with the aligned edges of the first plates; an outwardlyv extending lever hingedly secured to said table plate at each extremity thereof on an axis perpendicular to the plane of said table plate; angularly turned 'end members on said gripping plate extending at 4 right angles to the latter and over and beyond the extremities of said table plate, said end members being slotted to receive said levers, the

slots in the end members being inclined from V in a plane parallel to the plane of said table plate.

3. A sheet metal bending brake comprising; a horizontal table plate; angle plates extending downwardly from and supporting each extremity of said table plate; a lever hinged upon a fixed vertical axis upon each angle plate and extending outwardly therefrom so as to swing sidewardly in a horizontal plane; a gripping plate *adapted to lie on said table plate; end members .on said gripping plate extending downwardly in parallel relation to said angle plates at the ends of said table plate, said end members having vertical open ended slots arranged to pass downwardly over said levers and side slotsextending sidewardly from said vertical slots, said side slots being inclined relative to the plane of said'table plate so that sideward movement ofsaid levers in said side slots will cause a vertical movement of said gripping plate; and means for bending sheet metal upwardly over the edge of said'gripping plate.

4. A sheet metal brake comprising: an elon-,- gated, horizontal table plate; a vertical end member formed on, and extending downwardl from, each extremity of said table plate; an angle plate secured to and extending downwardly from said table plate adjacent each extremity thereof within and parallel to said end members; a base plate joining the bottoms of the end member and the angle plate at each extremity of said table plate to form open-sided, box like lever compartments at the extremities of said brake; a hinge ear formed on each angle plate and extending above said table plate at one side, thereof; a swinging plate hingedly mounted on said hinge ears so as to swing about a horizontal axis at one side of said table plate; a lever hinged on a vertical axis on each angle plate and extending outwardly through a horizontal slot, in the adjacent 'end member; .a horizontal gripping plate positioned oversaid' table plate; and a terminal plate secured to and extending downwardly from each extremity of said gripping plate parallel to said" end .plates, said terminal plates having substantially" vertical slots for the passage of said levers, and inclinedside .slots extending from said vertical slots into which said levers maybe swung to, exert aclampingaction on said gripping plate. p HENRY 'LEISER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of recordin the file of this patent: a

UNITED STATES PATENTS Hazen June 7, 1910 

